• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Looking to replace my Rumble v3 with a pedal.

#3
eric_kiser said:
Good people of TalkBass, I am looking to replace my Fender Rumble v3 with a preamp pedal.

In pedal world there is alot of emulation of other Fender circuits but nobody is doing the Rumble.

How close is something like a Joyo American Sound or a Sushi Box Particle Accelerator to what I'm looking for?
Click to expand...

That's a new one on me...don't recall anybody asking for a Rumble emulation. Given the number of preamp / OD pedals in the classifieds, I'd say it's largely hit-or-miss. You mentioned "Joyo" so I'll include my cheap-thrills candidate: Sonicake B Factory...mine was free courtesy of another friend & TBer. Check out the YT videos.

Happy hunting!

Riis
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric_kiser and sheesh
#4
Here's my review with quite some data on the American Sound:

Joyo / Harley Benton American Sound – The Dirt Jounal

thedirtjounal.com thedirtjounal.com

The Sushi Box Particle Accelerator does have the classic Fender tone stack - the Rumble, however, does not, it has a four band boost and cut.
The most important difference: On the classic Fender tone stack, Bass and Treble are boost only and mids are cut only, so your most neutral setting would be 0-10-0. The Rumble has a four band that is boost and cut, and the most neutral setting on the 500 is roughly 4-6-6-4.

To be honest, I do think that the Rumble is considered entry level and nothing special, so nobody bothered to clone it.
I see the most value in the Rumble series in bass combos that break neither bank nor back.
They are fairly light, they sound okay, and they offer a good volume level, especially at that price. That's why they are so popular.
Look around for amps with a 12" speaker that are under 10kg. There's not much to be had, and all the others are a LOT pricier.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OldShark, eric_kiser, sheesh and 1 other person
#7
Fender Downtown Express is probably the closest sound-wise to what you're after, plus has a bunch of useful features. It's quite competitively priced, too.

SansAmp BDDI is the industry standard for a reason. The Behringer copy of it is dirt cheap and also sounds good.

There's a ton of them on the market for every budget!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zooberwerx
#8
eric_kiser said:
Good people of TalkBass, I am looking to replace my Fender Rumble v3 with a preamp pedal.

In pedal world there is alot of emulation of other Fender circuits but nobody is doing the Rumble.

How close is something like a Joyo American Sound or a Sushi Box Particle Accelerator to what I'm looking for?
Click to expand...
As a Rumble owner myself, my only question is why on earth anyone would want to emulate it. That being said, if you find such a pedal, let us know. I'd love to test a Rumblish pedal on a Rumble amp. That would be double Rumble, at least. Maybe even Rumble squared.
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: instrumentlevel, Bass Jones, eric_kiser and 4 others
#9
eric_kiser said:
How close is something like a Joyo American Sound or a Sushi Box Particle Accelerator to what I'm looking for?
Click to expand...
I bought the Sushi Box Underground Accelerator because I wanted a Fender-ish type of sound, and I've been thrilled with the result. It's loosely based on an Alembic F2B, which is essentially a Fender type of tone. For me, the UA adds weight and fatness to the tone, but doesn't muffle the tone or scoop out the midrange. I cycled through many preamp and overdrive pedals before settling on the UA.

Note - I've never owned a Rumble, so I cannot compare the pedal to that amp. But if you are looking for a Fender style tone, the Sushi Box UA is definitely worth considering.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric_kiser and BlackRiverSong
#10
el murdoque said:
Here's my review with quite some data on the American Sound:

Joyo / Harley Benton American Sound – The Dirt Jounal

thedirtjounal.com thedirtjounal.com

The Sushi Box Particle Accelerator does have the classic Fender tone stack - the Rumble, however, does not, it has a four band boost and cut.
The most important difference: On the classic Fender tone stack, Bass and Treble are boost only and mids are cut only, so your most neutral setting would be 0-10-0. The Rumble has a four band that is boost and cut, and the most neutral setting on the 500 is roughly 4-6-6-4.

To be honest, I do think that the Rumble is considered entry level and nothing special, so nobody bothered to clone it.
I see the most value in the Rumble series in bass combos that break neither bank nor back.
They are fairly light, they sound okay, and they offer a good volume level, especially at that price. That's why they are so popular.
Look around for amps with a 12" speaker that are under 10kg. There's not much to be had, and all the others are a LOT pricier.
Click to expand...


So this is incorrect, having had this out before. The Rumble (at least v3 linked in thread):

gtirard

Thread 'Question about fender amps tone signature'

I"ve never liked Fender Rumble amps when I had to use them, not my thing (*)
And I've never had an opportunity to try other series like the Bassman for example.

Is there a Fender tone signature on all of their amps including the Bassman, or do you think it's a completely different animal that I should listen to?

(*) In depth, I've seen here on TB the explanation on how to EQ a Rumble to neutralize its baked-in mid scoop tone. I've tried, and for me it improves things slightly, but even with that I still found it muddy compared to other amps, so I guess there are 2 things I dislike in...
  • Like

empirically does have the Fender Tone Stack (see schematic) but it is baked in. You need to be able to read the schematic (or at least compare symbols). The EQ is not where that tone stack is...as I learned in that thread thanks to the helpful members of the forum.

The Rumble 800 is not entry level, and I suspect at some point somebody will clone it. The Rumble 15? Entry level. There are levels to this. hahah.

What's the Eno quote?

"Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature... The excitement of grainy film, of bleached-out black and white, is the excitement of witnessing events too momentous for the medium assigned to record them."
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric_kiser, KevInDaBassment and BlackRiverSong
#13
erratick said:
So this is incorrect, having had this out before. The Rumble (at least v3 linked in thread):

gtirard

Thread 'Question about fender amps tone signature'

I"ve never liked Fender Rumble amps when I had to use them, not my thing (*)
And I've never had an opportunity to try other series like the Bassman for example.

Is there a Fender tone signature on all of their amps including the Bassman, or do you think it's a completely different animal that I should listen to?

(*) In depth, I've seen here on TB the explanation on how to EQ a Rumble to neutralize its baked-in mid scoop tone. I've tried, and for me it improves things slightly, but even with that I still found it muddy compared to other amps, so I guess there are 2 things I dislike in...
  • Like

empirically does have the Fender Tone Stack (see schematic) but it is baked in. You need to be able to read the schematic (or at least compare symbols). The EQ is not where that tone stack is...as I learned in that thread thanks to the helpful members of the forum.

The Rumble 800 is not entry level, and I suspect at some point somebody will clone it. The Rumble 15? Entry level. There are levels to this. hahah.

What's the Eno quote?

"Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature... The excitement of grainy film, of bleached-out black and white, is the excitement of witnessing events too momentous for the medium assigned to record them."
Click to expand...
I was going by this:

rumble.jpg


and I see we're splitting hairs here. After my definition, an EQ curve that is baked into the amp is not a tone stack, because it cannot be directly influenced in the way the original controls work.

It's a baked in EQ curve with a four band EQ.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eric_kiser, HolmeBass and sheesh
#14
That Rumble 12 O'clock curve is classic 'Music Store' [Bedroom] Sound and for good reason by marketers knowing many audition amps at so called flat 12 O'clock:)

Why in my experience many Bar/club bands Bass Player is happy with that 'Fat' tone standing near Amp but In audience I hear decent Bass fill but never hear actual Bass line and different pitches, dynamics etc. that makes a great sounding Bass line but if they have excellent Guitar player Drummer and Singer it really doesn't matter:)

To OP;

https://reverb.com/item/92871308-mesa-boogie-subway-bass-di-preamp-2010s-black
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: eric_kiser
#17
. . . Initially I wanted to pile on (there is a rumble 10 at my local open mic) (. . . shh - not a fan)
but really, if I wanted to substitute a pedal for a sound that I liked, I would try to figure out what I liked to hear as far as bass tone. Above there are some great suggestions. I recently did a lot of research before I bought a new amp and am I glad I did.
what kind of playing do you do? what styles? vintage or modern or both?
is there a specific reason you are looking for a rumble emulation? I would try to tease out what the sound is that I am looking for...
if you are new to bass pedals and all, maybe look no further than the tech21 BDDI? (I don't, I have tech21 VTBass)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zooberwerx, eric_kiser and wncBass

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back